


Taking Back What's Ours

by WaffleHyuckie



Series: Regulate [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: But he does care, Confident yangyang, Doyoung's nickname for Renjun is Sweet, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone is tired, Fever, Fluff and Angst, Gen, He'll probably use that more often than his actual name, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, Realm traversing, Renjun is a mess, Sicheng just wants Renjun back, Sick Character, Sickfic, Ten seems all business
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 05:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaffleHyuckie/pseuds/WaffleHyuckie
Summary: "Si...Sicheng…” Renjun choked out hoarsely, his grip tightening on the older, as if trying to cling to reality. (Though honestly, he probably was in his eyes.) “I can’t...h-hold on…” eyes fluttering, shaky grip loosening, he began to shut down, limbs failing him as he lost consciousness. Sicheng caught him as he fell, thanking the heavens as Yangyang quickly rushed to help, wrapping his arms around Renjun's waist to keep him a little more upright.Sicheng took this moment to actually take in the state of the younger boy, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of pale skin and laboured breathing - a light flush high on his cheeks. These weren't effects of the dreamscape were they? How has it not happened to one of us before? Worry pooled in his gut."Let's get him to Ten and Doyoung. He doesn’t look right."--Renjun wakes up.





	Taking Back What's Ours

“I’m coming with you.” Was the instant command Yangyang had given when he’d caught up to Sicheng. The older turned to look at him with a tired expression, not really up for arguing at this point. 

“It’s not safe for you. If you come with me, I might not be able to protect you both.”

“If I don’t come with you, you might not find him at all.” The bluntness felt like a punch to the gut, Sicheng’s mind reeling as he felt his denial slipping. Yangyang was right - chances of finding Renjun were going to be slim with just him breaching the realms. But Yangyang is still young, still inexperienced...If he lost Yangyang, he wouldn’t forgive himself. And Ten wouldn’t forgive him either. 

“You need me, Sicheng. I’m able to travel just like you are.” he stepped closer, more urgent. “Please. Don’t worry about my safety. The priority here is Renjun. He can’t fend for himself like I can.”

Seconds of silence passed before Sicheng sighed, giving in.

“Alright. Alright. You can come. But you better not get trapped! Ten will murder me, Renjun retrieved or not.”

Grinning cheekily, Yangyang held up his hand for Sicheng to take.

“Could say the same about you, Mr.Know-It-All. Now let’s go. He’s waiting.”

With a nod, he took Yangyang’s hand in his, using his other one to bring out a pocket watch that had been hanging around his neck. Usually he’d go to he own room to travel, but with no one around and Renjun waiting, he decided to get it over with. Letting go of Yangyang’s hand, he took the watch off of his neck, holding it up between them before using the tip of his index finger to start spinning it. A light consumed them both rather quickly afterwards, flashing and leaving an empty room behind.

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The Bridge wasn’t nice place to be. It was too dark, too cold and lonely, even with someone else here. Sicheng looked around the room, waiting. Yangyang sensed the suspense, standing stock still as he also waited, for what, he wasn’t too sure. 

But then he heard it - a chime. And a voice. Calling out to them. Sicheng’s watch reacted, chiming back and the older instantly began to follow something. They entered through the door at one end of the room, revealing a dimly lit hallway, still with the blue wash.

They strolled through it, unsure and cautious as they approached yet another door at the end. The energy radiating off of it foreboding and daring them to go through.

Behind the door, there was a room. An empty, horribly dark and red room - a sinister jolt clutching as Sicheng’s chest. Red. Fragile. Unstable. The figure in the middle of the room made it worse, the narrow and tiny frame of Renjun barely able to stand, barely able to move.

“Renjun…” Yangyang muttered, catching the attention of the boy. Desperate and fearful eyes locked in at them, unsure and expectant of something bad to happen - for his hope to be shattered.

“Renjun...You’re almost here...Just a little further.” The youngest encouraged again, urging Renjun to start moving. He did, forcing his body and mind to cooperate as he staggered towards them, getting more and more hopeful with each step and each motivating statement. 

He was almost there, almost free. Just a few steps away, a mere few inches from escaping. A murmur of Sicheng’s name left him before an awful rumble shook the foundations of the Bridge, causing them all to almost fall over. The room was too fragile. 

_ No…! _

Before they could even realise what was happening, the ground caved in, the floor collapsing and taking Renjun with it, falling into a black abyss. Sicheng screamed Renjun’s name, reaching out helplessly. Renjun’s eyes had been so much more fearful - consumed by devastation and crushed hope. 

Sicheng couldn’t let him go. Not when he was this close. He threw the watch to Yangyang, readying himself. He was going to go after Renjun, no matter how risky it was. 

“Collapse the Bridge. Now!” He didn’t tell him anything else before he jumped.

“_SICHENG!_” Yangyang cried out, watching the elder dive into the darkness after Renjun. Without hesitation, he span the watch, forcing the Bridge to collapse itself and summoning The Nothing, the static eating at the Bridge faster than ever before. He watched the abyss, trying to find Sicheng or Renjun in the darkness, horrified.

Sicheng could see Renjun falling from where he was, the younger just out of reach - so close yet not close enough to touch. So close. _So close._ He was almost there - Renjun almost tethered to reality by his contact, he just needed a little more speed. The sight of The Nothing just below them made his heart race, pounding in his head and screaming at him to _do something._

_ Come on..! I’m not leaving you behind! _

He gave one last push, using the fragility of the dreamscape to propel himself straight towards Renjun, catching the boy in his arms before The Nothing swallowed them up.

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They all awoke with a gasp, each shooting up to their feet, stumbling back as they were shot out of the Bridge and into reality, dazed and confused. Sicheng shook his head, chest heaving in relief as he saw Renjun’s swaying and unsteady form. He became much more concerned when the younger stumbled forward though, and he caught him when he almost fell to the ground.

"Si...Sicheng…” Renjun choked out hoarsely, his grip tightening on the older, as if trying to cling to reality. (Though honestly, he probably was in his eyes.) “I can’t...h-hold on…” eyes fluttering, shaky grip loosening, he began to shut down, limbs failing him as he lost consciousness. Sicheng caught him as he fell, thanking the heavens as Yangyang quickly rushed to help, wrapping his arms around Renjun's waist to keep him a little more upright.  
  
Sicheng took this moment to actually take in the state of the younger boy, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of pale skin and laboured breathing - a light flush high on his cheeks. _These weren't effects of the dreamscape were they? How has it not happened to one of us before?_ Worry pooled in his gut.  
  
"Let's get him to Ten and Doyoung. He doesn’t look right." He murmured, gently handling the unconscious boy between them so that he could lift him up, carrying him downstairs, where the others were waiting, confused and expectant.  
  
"Hyungs." Sicheng called out, catching their attention quickly. They stared at him, then at the limp form in his arms before Doyoung and Ten stood up, hurrying over. "Yangyang and I just got him. I think he's sick."  
  
Doyoung immediately grew concerned at that, gently brushing Renjun's hair back to feel his forehead.  
  
"Sick or not, he's burning up. Have you ever seen anything like this before?" He glanced down to Ten, who shook his head, looking troubled.  
  
"I've never had a deepscape case before. Though I have heard stories...I'm not entirely sure if this is normal or not."  
  
Yangyang tilted his head at that, confused.  
  
"Weren't Hyuck and Mark in Deepscape too?"  
  
"They were, but they weren't trapped. They could move somewhat freely between that and dreamscape. We haven't had a pure Deepscape case until now."  
  
"I'm hoping that it's from something else." Doyoung hummed, biting the inside of his cheek. "If not, we'll be dealing with this five times over." No one wanted to protest against that. The hope of saving the other kids feeling more and more tangible with Renjun's appearance. Even if they weren't convinced, they'd let themselves think wishfully for now.   
  
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Renjun was relocated to a spare room on the lower floor of the apartment - blankets piled on top of him to fight off chills, though it didn't really help when Sicheng held an ice pack wrapped in a towel to the boy's forehead. Shivers wracked through his body at the sudden cold contact and his eyes cracked open - awoken by the startling contrast.  
  
"Too cold..." Renjun muttered, shuddering at the feeling. Doyoung burrowed his hand under the blankets to hold Renjun's, lightly comforting him as Sicheng held the ice pack in place for a little longer before taking it off, much to Renjun's relief.  
  
Gently, Doyoung thumbed his flushed cheek, cooing.  
  
"Hey, Sweet. Haven't seen you in a while, hm?"  
  
"Am I...?" Delirious and glazed eyes blinked up at him.  
  
"You're awake. You're out of the dream world."  
  
Seconds flew by and Renjun blankly looked ahead, unresponsive, before promptly tearing up, eyes glittering. The older boys immediately hopped up next to him, surrounding him on both sides as he began crying.  
  
"Oh, baby...you're okay now. You're okay." Doyoung muttered, wrapping his arm around Renjun's waist, crossing under the one Sicheng had already slung over him. "You're with us. And soon, everyone else will be, too. You're alright, Sweet."  
  
"I was so scared..." he sobbed, "I-I tried to be brave but I c-couldn’t handle it..."  
  
Doyoung softly hushed him then, bringing one hand up to run through Renjun's hair. "It's okay. You're with us now. And you'll stay in the waking world. The machine is off.”

“What about the others? Did they make it?" Sicheng and Doyoung's confused glances each other made Renjun's stomach sink with dread. Things were dawning on him now, and he realised that he'd been alone when Sicheng caught him. "The others. We went together! Where’s Chenle...!?” He suddenly sat up then, panic fluttering in his eyes as he looked around. "Jeno? Jisung? Jaemin?" He got more and more agitated with each name passing without confirmation. Doyoung and Sicheng kept their hands on his shoulders, keeping him from getting up too fast. 

“Only you appeared on our monitors, Sweet.” Doyoung informed carefully, rubbing Renjun’s back. “No one else came out of deepscape.”

But that means...He didn't get to save them. They were all still stuck, trapped---

His breath hitched, getting more and more unsteady.

“But...I held it open..I saw them go through…!” he looked down at his trembling hands. “Why didn't they make it...!?" his words were choked and pitiful, voice cracking as tears fell again. “It should’ve been me who was left behind…”

Feeling the heat radiating off Renjun get seemingly worse, Doyoung muttered to Sicheng to go fetch a washcloth and some water over the boy’s head, reckoning it’d be more comfortable than the ice pack and to make a compress for later. He did as he was told, leaving Doyoung to comfort the distressed Renjun. 

“Baby don’t say those things...We’re glad that even one of you have made it out of there.”

“But it should have been them. I’m - I’m not--”

“Renjun you have done amazingly." Doyoung interrupted firmly. "Do you even know what you’ve done by escaping?”

Sicheng came back with the washcloth and a small basin of water, catching onto their conversation as he did so.

“Ruined everyone’s chances of getting out..?”

“You’ve given us hope, Sweet. We didn’t even know if we would ever see any of you again, and yet here you are. Do you know how hard Sicheng fought to get you here? And now that you are here, that means the others can come back, too.”

“But- But I held it open for them..How will they get back without someone to open the gate?”

“We’ll find a way, Sweet. You and Donghyuck have already dragged yourselves out. The others are bound to make it.

Renjun froze at the mention of Donghyuck.

“D-Donghyuck’s here?” His voice was small, timid and it made Doyoung and Sicheng’s hearts clench.

“He’s here.” Doyoung confirmed. “He’s been worried about you. Do you wanna see him?” Upon Renjun’s nod, he got up, giving Renjun’s hair one last ruffle before heading out of the door. In the living space, he could see Mark and Donghyuck at the kitchen counter, their attention immediately drawn to Doyoung as he walked out.

“Is he okay?” Donghyuck immediately questioned as Doyoung came over. The older grimaced. "Sicheng said he's sick."

“He is. And he's still a little shaken right now. He asked for you.”

Donghyuck stood up at that, gaze serious.

“Can’t leave him waiting.” he declared. 

“Be careful. He’s feeling guilty about escaping. And his fever’s still too high.”

Donghyuck nodded, grabbing Mark’s hand as he swiftly made his way to Renjun’s room, leaving Doyoung on his own. 

“Did he say anything interesting?” Ten asked, looking over from Sicheng’s usual work space. Doyoung sauntered over, arms folded.

“You could say that,” He responded, “He said something about opening a gate. A gate that allowed them to escape the deepscape. From the sounds of it, only he could hold it open.”

“Gate…” Ten hummed to himself, looking something up on Sicheng’s computer. “There’s...Stories. About the deepscape. Where it is, why it is the way it is...Ways to escape it.” He pulled up a file on what he was talking about, scrolling down to a section about exits to the dreamworld. “There’s been claims that Deepscape holds multiple exits, one of which being the gates. They’re shrouded in darkness, basically suspended in a dark abyss. Only those with enough mental strength can open them, though it does...strain the physical body.” He looked up at Doyoung. “I thought the gates were merely a myth. But with what Renjun has told us and the state he’s in? They might just be real after all.”

“But what does that mean about the others? If they can’t hold the gate…How else will they get out?”

Ten contemplated for a few seconds, staring at the screen with a fixed glower, leg bouncing impatiently and with a contagiously nervous energy.

“...I don’t know. But I’ll find out. I’m not leaving them there to suffer.” Doyoung's careful gaze softened at that. He knew that Ten was just as urgent to get the kids safe as he was. His worry for Renjun earlier was enough to tell him that, but Ten's aloof nature usually made him forget how much he really did care.

A flickering on the screen turned the conversation around, the signal tracker appearing. Ten blinked in surprise, staring at it for a few seconds, before giving Doyoung a more excited, but still reserved look.

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again." He huffed with a small smirk. "Yangyang is a miracle worker.”

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Having Hyuck and Mark to settle Renjun down was incredibly helpful for Sicheng. Hyuck immediately had the boy nuzzling into his chest, more compliant with the comforting and familiar contact. They’d managed to convince him to keep the damp washcloth on his neck, just as a stand-in until the compress was ready, much to their relief as they hoped it’d notch his temperature down. 

“It’s all my fault.” Renjun muttered. “If I was stronger...If I was good enough, I could have saved them…”

"You did all that you could, idiot," Hyuck replied gently, holding Renjun close. "Stop beating yourself up okay? You're sick and you need rest, not anymore self-induced stress."

"'M not sick..." he mumbled, eyelids becoming heavier and heavier by the second, Hyuck's warm and comforting presence lulling him to sleep slowly but surely.

"You have a fever, dude. That's enough to say that you're not well."

Renjun gave an indecipherable hum as a response, eyes closed fully now. Hyuck brushed his hair back from his forehead, still in slight disbelief that Renjun was with them now. Was safe from the dream world.

"Sleep tight." Hyuck muttered to him, waiting for a few minutes for Renjun's breaths to even out and deepen with sleep, the boy now far gone and completely knocked out.

"I'll go get the compress." Sicheng whispered, leaving the room for a minute. Hyuck and Mark were left with the newest escapee, the two of them watching him closely. It might've been a little weird to stare at him, especially in such a vulnerable state, but it was all out of worry and fear. When Sicheng came back with the compress, he passed it to the younger boys, saying that something came up and he was needed elsewhere. The boys understood, wrapping the compress towel around Renjun's head as carefully as they could before giving him a second blanket to fight off chills. 

Mark slid into the bed, settling on the other side of Renjun, offering heat on all sides now. Renjun sighed, comforted unconsciously by the solid forms surrounding him.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Hyuck asked quietly, looking devastatedly from Renjun to Mark. The older nodded.

"He will be, eventually. We'll all be okay. We'll be awake and together again. Like nothing every happened.

Donghyuck could only hope that he was right. 


End file.
